1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a jig device or assembly for use in the manufacture of crate assemblies. More particularly, the present invention relates to a jig device or assembly for maintaining the proper alignment of certain fasteners during the assembly of crates for shipping precious cargo.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Jigs or templates are well known in the metalworking and woodworking arts, having been known long before the industrial age. There are many types of jigs, and each one is typically custom-tailored to perform a specific function. Many jigs are created because there is a necessity to do so by the tradesmen, while others are developed to increase productivity, to perform repetitious activities, and to perform a specific function more precisely.
Essentially, a jig is a type of tool used to control the location and/or motion of another tool. A jig's primary purpose is to provide repeatability, accuracy, and interchangeability in the manufacturing of products. A device that simultaneously holds a work and guides a tool is called a jig.
Tools or jigs designed to hold and guide fasteners during fastening engagement of a work piece are somewhat less well known in the arts. Still lesser known, are tools or jig devices that incorporate magnetic means for aligning fasteners and the like for accurate fastening engagement. A description of some of the more pertinent fastener-holding/guiding art is briefly set forth hereinafter.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,597,876 ('876 patent), which issued to Kurkjian, discloses a Magnetic Nail-Holding Hammer. The '876 patent describes an article of manufacture comprising a hammer head having a conventional shank, which shank has a longitudinally extending nail receiving channel, a nail head abutment wall at one end of the channel, and a magnetism localizing element fitted in the shank.
One end of the shank communicates with the channel intermediate the ends of the channel for releasably retaining a nail in the channel. The magnetism localizing element retains a certain magnetic flux localized in close proximity to the element in a manner whereby metal objects such as nails, screws and the like, will not be picked up by the hammer upon contact and whereby a nail may only be releasably held by the hammer when the nail is placed within the channel.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,765,588 ('588 patent), which issued to Frederickson, discloses a Nail Feeding Apparatus. The '588 patent describes a nail feeding apparatus for use with a supply of nails and a reciprocating hammer wherein a magnet fixed to a receiver plate with a nail shaft aligning groove therein magnetically attracts to and retains successively arriving nails along the groove as they are supplied from a delivery means spaced from and confronting the receiver plate. Each nail is retained in nailing relationship while the hammer drives the nail into nailable material.
The plate has an angled section thereon and is movably mounted relative to the hammer so that as the hammer strikes the angled section of the receiver plate the plate moves from a first position within the path of the hammer to a second position outside the path of the hammer, leaving the nail behind to be driven by the hammer without interference from the plate, the moving receiving plate triggering the release of a successive nail which is then attracted to the groove and seized by the magnet when the plate returns to first position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,139,036 ('036 patent), which issued to Regan et al., discloses a Screw Starter. The '036 patent describes a housing having top and bottom openings provided with an interior flexible sheet containing a cross-slit for holding a screw in a vertically upright position. The bottom opening is placed over the point into which the screw is to be threaded. A screwdriver may be inserted through the top opening to engage the slot in the screw head so that the screw can be threaded.
A plurality of screws can be similarly inserted into a plurality of cross-slits formed along the length of a strip in order sequentially to advance each screw into a position which is vertically aligned with the top and bottom openings. The strip may contain sprocket holes which are engaged by a sprocket mounted in a housing for advancing the strip. The strip may also be provided with detent holes for cooperation with a detent means mounted on the housing for facilitating the positioning of each screw.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,465,115 ('115 patent), which issued to Palomera, discloses a Hammerhead. The '115 patent describes an improved hammerhead characterized by certain nail retaining means for facilitating initial driving of the nail without the requirement of holding the nail in the hand of a user. The nail retaining means incorporates an elongate recess sized to receive and self-align the shank portion of the nail upon the hammerhead, an angular-shaped pocket sized to receive the head portion of the nail and a magnet insert positioned proximal the angular-shaped pocket adapted to maintain the nail in the elongate recess during initial driving. The magnet insert is readily removable from the hammerhead to permit rapid replacement after its magnetic flux force has deteriorated through prolonged use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,375 ('375 patent), which issued to Durham et al., discloses a magnetic positioning system for assisting in positioning a fastening element at a desired concealed internal location such as in a preformed opening in an interlocking nail in a long bone of a limb of a patient who has suffered a bone fracture. The arrangement includes: a first permanent (“target”) magnet positioned at the internal location and a positioning device for a second permanent (“targeting”) magnet. The positioning device comprises a hand-held drill and a magnetic aiming device mounted on the drill.
The aiming device includes a pivot member including the second magnet and is disposed at one end thereof having an axial bore. A mount for the pivot member permits three degrees of movement of the pivot member so as to enable the second magnet to align with the first magnet. The positioning device also includes a guide pin which is insertable into the axial bore and which is engaged by the drill chuck of the drill when the magnets are aligned. This enables the guide pin to be advanced by the drill along a path of travel in alignment with the first magnet and thus with the internal location. This path is ultimately followed by the fastening element.
It will be seen from a review of the foregoing in particular, and the general field of jigs and fastener holding implements generally that the prior art perceives a need for a crate assembly jig implement or device that functions to hold at least one fastener in proper alignment so that the fastener, when driven, does not penetrate materials bound by the crate assembly. Accordingly, the present invention provides a jig assembly for use in the manufacture of crate assemblies having precise specifications to properly protect crate-bound precious cargo during assembly and shipment as summarized in more detail hereinafter.